Trending

'Disheartened' Kate Upton Says She Will Not Participate In Guess Investigation of Paul Marciano Misconduct

By Meredith B. Kile‍ 7:36 PM PST, February 28, 2018

Getty Images

Kate Upton is continuing to speak out.

The model shared a new statement to social media on Wednesday, addressing Guess’ internal investigation into sexual misconduct claims against co-founder Paul Marciano.

“I just learned that Guess hired Paul Marciano’s PERSONAL lawyer to run their internal 'investigation,'" she wrote on Twitter. “I'm truly disheartened to learn that Guess is treating this abuse of power and sexual misconduct (to multiple women) in such a manner."

"I shared my story to help create long-term change at the highest levels of the industry and corporate ladder," Upton continued. “I also wanted to empower others to share their stories to stand up for change – whether as a victim of or as a witness to this behavior.”

In the statement, the 25-year-old model also revealed that she has declined to participate in the investigation until the company retains a truly independent firm to examine her claims.

"Hearing how this 'investigation' is being conducted, and also knowing a strong fear of retaliation still exists within Guess' corporate offices, is extremely disappointing and upsetting," Upton tweeted. "The #MeToo movement is not one of smoke and mirrors, or for corporate office PR stunts to impress shareholders -- it’s a call to action for TRUE change."

“To conduct an investigation like this seems like a stunt, and is a clear indication to me that Guess is not taking these claims seriously, nor are they committed to making changes at the highest levels,” she concluded. “Until Guess makes a commitment to conduct an unbiased investigation, I have declined to participate. I look forward to participating if and when Guess retains a truly independent firm to run the entire investigation.”

As ET previously reported, Upton came forward via Twitter earlier this month, accusing Marciano of "sexually and emotionally" harassing women in a series of tweets. "It's disappointing that such an iconic women's brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director #metoo," she wrote at the time, later sharing the same message to Instagram.

A week later, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model detailed her allegations in an interview with Time. She claimed Marciano sexually harassed and assaulted her in July 2010, after the first day of shooting on a Guess lingerie campaign.

Last week, Guess announced that Marciano had temporarily stepped down from his day-to-day responsibilities at the fashion empire. The company said at the time that they take all allegations of misconduct "very seriously" and are "committed to maintaining a safe work environment, and looks forward to the completion of a thorough investigation of all the facts."

See more on Upton’s claims from ET’s recent exclusive interview with the supermodel in the video below.